Puck-loving Californian strides into RBC Canadian Open lead

Ottawa's Brad Fritsch top Canadian with 3-under 65

Brendan Steele, of the United States, lines up a chip onto the ninth green during the first round at the Canadian Open Golf Championship at Glen Abbey in Oakville, Ont., on Thursday, July 25, 2013.

Photograph by: Frank Gunn
, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OAKVILLE, Ont. — When a wildfire forced them to evacuate their family home in the scenic mountain town of Idyllwild, Calif., last week, Brendan Steele's parents called to ask what items he wanted them to rescue from his childhood bedroom. Steele, a 30-year-old golfer who was born and raised in Southern California, highlighted one very specific item.

"I was like, 'You've got to get my Peter Forsberg game-used rookie-of-the-year stick that he signed, that's on my wall,'" he said. "It was just, 'Grab that, and throw it in the car.'"

The house and the stick both survived the fires and, on Thursday, the golfer excelled in a tournament held in the heartland of what he says is his "favourite sport."

Steele carded a 7-under 65 to claim the first-round lead at the RBC Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Club, less than an hour's drive west of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

It was his best opening round of the season and gives him a one-shot cushion on a group of three — including world No. 6 Matt Kuchar — heading into the second round on Friday. Steele has won more than U.S.$3.4 million in three years on the PGA Tour, but this is his first time playing at Glen Abbey.

He was happy to talk about his debut round, but he was eager to talk hockey. A National Hockey League player is partly responsible for his new diet, and another NHLer offered him advice that helped his game Thursday.

"I just have a love for how fast the game is, how hard the guys play," Steele said. "You know how it is: It just gets in your blood. When you love it, you love it. And all the guys that I've met have been the nicest guys, too."

Steele said his love of the Los Angeles Kings began in childhood, well before they landed Wayne Gretzky. His family — his father is a retired lawyer — would usually make a trip into the city to watch a game in the spring, around his birthday.

He pulled his iPhone from his pocket to show pictures. He was inside the Staples Center for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup final last year, hoping to witness a sweep. (He was out of town when the Kings finally won the title over New Jersey five days later.)

"Now it's tough," Steele said, "because I've got a bunch of buddies playing around the league."

He golfs with Florida Panthers forward Scottie Upshall. On Wednesday, while Toronto Maple Leafs forwards Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri were playing in the Open's pro-am event, Steele was playing at another course with another Leafs forward, Joffrey Lupul, and Nashville Predators defenceman Kevin Klein.

"Lupes was up here because he thought he was going to play the pro-am, and they didn't let him in," Steele said with a smile. "And then I found out Kessel and Kadri played, and I was like, 'Man, he's going to be mad when he finds out.'"

It is worth noting that Steele referred to Lupul by the nickname his teammates use. Also noteworthy: After talking about his struggles with his putter, Steele received a tip from Klein, who suggested he focus on accelerating the club through the ball.

"The more I thought about it, the more I was like, 'God, he's right,'" Steele said. "So I came back here after we played and worked on it . . . so he gets a shout-out."

And it was during the NHL lockout that, on a tip from Upshall, Steele found his way to a trainer who advised him to change his diet. On Thursday, Anaheim Ducks forward Dustin Penner — a former member of the Kings — sent Steele a message of congratulations for his round on Twitter.

Steele, who spent two years on the PGA Tour Canada before making it to the big circuit, is ranked 214th in the world, and has a handful of highly ranked golfers within striking distance as he chases his second PGA Tour win. Hunter Mahan (No. 22 in the world) is two shots off the pace after an opening-round 67, while Bubba Watson (No. 18) is right behind (68), with former champion Vijay Singh (69) also in the mix.

Ottawa's Brad Fritsch was the top Canadian after a 3-under 69 performance. He birdied his final three holes to pass David Hearn of Brantford, Ont., on the leaderboard. Hearn finished 2-under.

Those who went out in the morning seemed to have a better run than those who went out in the afternoon. Ernie Els, who began his round at 12:45 p.m. ET and ended at 1-under, said it was the grass, which dried out in the afternoon, "and the ball gets a little more fiery."

Steele birdied his second hole of the morning round, but really made ground on the back nine. He birdied five of his first seven holes after the turn, which made the bogey earned on his final hole a little easier to stomach.

"Everything about Canada is great," he said with a broad smile. "I mean, I love it. I love the people. I love the culture. I love the golf courses. And I love that everything's centred around hockey."

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